Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations of dietary intake including vitamin D, folate, and n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in pregnant women with broad autism phenotype (BAP). The Japan Environment and Children’s Study is a government-funded birth cohort study. All complete data of 92,011 were analyzed. The Japanese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient was used to assess mothers’ BAP level, and a food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate their dietary intake. Mothers with BAP consumed less vegetables, fruits, and fish and shellfish, and they consumed lower folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, and n-3 PUFA than their counterparts. Dietary intervention should be considered for pregnant women with high BAP scores.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asano, R., Tsuchiya, K. J., Takei, N., Harada, T., Kugizaki, Y., Nakahara, R., et al. (2014). Broader autism phenotype as a risk factor for postpartum depression: Hamamatsu Birth Cohort (HBC) Study. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders,8, 1672–1678. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00152.
Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): Evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,31, 5–17.
Cheng, J., Eskenazi, B., Widjaja, F., Cordero, J. F., & Hendren, R. L. (2019). Improving autism perinatal risk factors: A systematic review. Medical Hypotheses,127, 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.03.012.
Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Government of Japan. (2010). Official Gazette Cooperation of Japan; Tokyo: 2010. Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2010.
Dawson, G., Webb, S., Schellenberg, G. D., Dager, S., Friedman, S., Aylward, E., et al. (2002). Defining the broader phenotype of autism: Genetic, brain, and behavioral perspectives. Development and Psychopathology,14(3), 581–611.
Dawson, G., Webb, S. J., Wijsman, E., Schellenberg, G., Estes, A., Munson, J., et al. (2005). Neurocognitive and electrophysiological evidence of altered face processing in parents of children with autism: Implications for a model of abnormal development of social brain circuitry in autism. Development and Psychopathology,17(3), 679–697. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579405050327.
DeVilbiss, E. A., Magnusson, C., Gardner, R. M., Rai, D., Newschaffer, C. J., Lyall, K., et al. (2017). Antenatal nutritional supplementation and autism spectrum disorders in the Stockholm youth cohort: population based cohort study. BMJ,359, j4273. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4273.
Emond, A., Emmett, P., Steer, C., & Golding, J. (2010). Feeding symptoms, dietary patterns, and growth in young children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics,126(2), e337–e342. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-2391.
Fujiwara, T., Morisaki, N., Honda, Y., Sampei, M., & Tani, Y. (2016). Chemicals, nutrition, and autism spectrum disorder: A mini-Review. Frontiers in Neuroscience,10, 174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00174.
González, H. F., & Visentin, S. (2016). Micronutrients and neurodevelopment: An update. Archivos Argentinos De Pediatria,114(6), 570–575. https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2016.eng.570.
Hirokawa, K., Kimura, T., Ikehara, S., Honjo, K., Sato, T., Ueda, K., et al. (2019). Associations between broader autism phenotype (BAP) and maternal attachment are moderated by maternal postpartum depression when infants are one month old: A prospective study of the Japan environment & children's study. Journal of Affective Disorders,243, 485–493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.060.
Hirokawa, K., Nagata, C., Takatsuka, N., Shimizu, N., & Shimizu, H. (2008). Rationality/anti-emotionality personality and dietary habits in a community population in Japan. Journal of Epidemiology,18(4), 183–190.
Hurley, R. S., Losh, M., Parlier, M., Reznick, J. S., & Piven, J. (2007). The broad autism phenotype questionnaire. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,37(9), 1679–1690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0299-3.
Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2012). Results of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2007 to 2011 (Pregnant women). (Japanese) Retrieved April 24. 2017, from https://www.mhlw.go.jp/bunya/kenkou/dl/kenkou_eiyou_chousa_tokubetsushuukei_ninpu_h19.pdf.
Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (2015). Overview of Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2015). (Japanese) Retrieved April 14, 2017, from https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/04-Houdouhappyou-10904750-Kenkoukyoku-Gantaisakukenkouzoushinka/0000041955.pdf.
Kawamoto, T., Nitta, H., Murata, K., Toda, E., Tsukamoto, N., Hasegawa, M., et al. (2014). Working Group of the Epidemiological Research for Children’s Environmental Health. Rationale and study design of the Japan environment and children's study (JECS). BMC Public Health,14, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-25.
Keller, C., & Siegrist, M. (2015). Appetite does personality influence eating styles and food choices? Direct and indirect effects. Appetite,84, 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.10.003.
Kikuchi, Y., & Watanabe, S. (2000). Personality and dietary habits. Journal of Epidemiology,10(3), 191–198.
Kurita, H., Koyama, T., & Osada, H. (2005). Autism-Spectrum Quotient-Japanese version and its short forms for screening normally intelligent persons with pervasive developmental disorders. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences,59(4), 490–496. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2005.01403.x.
Layé, S., Nadjar, A., Joffre, C., & Bazinet, R. P. (2018). Anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain: Physiological mechanisms and relevance to pharmacology. Pharmacological Reviews,70, 12–38. https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.117.014092.
Li, Y. M., Shen, Y. D., Li, Y. J., Xun, G. L., Liu, H., Wu, R. R., et al. (2018). Maternal dietary patterns, supplements intake and autism spectrum disorders: A preliminary case-control study. Medicine,97(52), e13902. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000013902.
Lunn, T. E., Nowson, C. A., Worsley, A., & Torres, S. J. (2014). Does personality affect dietary intake? Nutrition,30(4), 403–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2013.08.012.
Lyall, K., Schmidt, R. J., & Hertz-Picciotto, I. (2014). Maternal lifestyle and environmental risk factors for autism spectrum disorders. International Journal of Epidemiology,43(2), 443–464. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyt282.
Madore, C., Leyrolle, Q., Lacabanne, C., Benmamar-Badel, A., Joffre, C., Nadjar, A., et al. (2016). Neuroinflammation in autism: Plausible role of maternal inflammation, dietary omega 3, and microbiota. Neural Plasticity,2016, 3597209.
Malek, L., Umberger, W. J., Makrides, M., Collins, C. T., & Zhou, S. J. (2018). Understanding motivations for dietary supplementation during pregnancy: A focus group study. Midwifery,57, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2017.11.004.
Martins, B. P., Bandarra, N. M., & Figueiredo-Braga, M. (2019). The role of marine omega-3 in human neurodevelopment, including autism spectrum disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder—A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition,18, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2019.1573800.
Mazahery, H., Camargo, C. A., Jr., Conlon, C., Beck, K. L., Kruger, M. C., & von Hurst, P. R. (2016). Vitamin D and autism spectrum disorder: A literature review. Nutrients,8(4), 236. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8040236.
Mazahery, H., Stonehouse, W., Delshad, M., Kruger, M. C., Conlon, C. A., Beck, K. L., et al. (2017). Relationship between long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and autism spectrum disorder: Systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control and randomised controlled trials. Nutrients,9(2), 155. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9020155.
Mennella, J. A., Jagnow, C. P., & Beauchamp, G. K. (2001). Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics,107(6), E88.
Michikawa, T., Nitta, H., Nakayama, S. F., Ono, M., Yonemoto, J., Tamura, K., et al. (2015). The Japan environment and children's study (JECS): A preliminary report on selected characteristics of approximately 10,000 pregnant women recruited during the first year of the study. Journal of Epidemiology,25(6), 452–458. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20140186.
Michikawa, T., Nitta, H., Nakayama, S. F., Yamazaki, S., Isobe, T., Tamura, K., et al. (2018). Baseline profile of participants in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS). Journal of Epidemiology,28(2), 99–104. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20170018.
Modabbernia, A., Velthorst, E., & Reichenberg, A. (2017). Environmental risk factors for autism: An evidence-based review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Molecular Autism,8, 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-017-0121-4.
Murphy, M., Bolton, P. F., Pickles, A., Fombonne, E., Piven, J., & Rutter, M. (2000). Personality traits of the relatives of autistic probands. Psychological Medicine,30(6), 1411–1424.
Oba, S., Nagata, C., Nakamura, K., Fujii, K., Kawachi, T., Takatsuka, N., et al. (2010). Dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, and intake of carbohydrate and rice in relation to risk of mortality from stroke and its subtypes in Japanese men and women. Metabolism,59(11), 1574–1582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2010.02.004.
Piven, J., Palmer, P., Jacobi, D., Childress, D., & Arndt, S. (1997). Broader autism phenotype: Evidence from a family history study of multiple-incidence autism families. American Journal of Psychiatry,154(2), 185–190.
Robert, C., Pasquier, L., Cohen, D., Fradin, M., Canitano, R., Damaj, L., et al. (2017). Role of genetics in the etiology of autistic spectrum disorder: Towards a hierarchical diagnostic strategy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences,18(3), 618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18030618.
Sasaki, S., Takahashi, T., Iitoi, Y., Iwase, Y., Kobayashi, M., Ishihara, J., et al. (2003). Food and nutrient intakes assessed with dietary records for the validation study of a self-administered food frequency questionnaire in JPHC Study Cohort I. Journal of Epidemiology,13(1 Suppl), S23–50.
Seidman, I., Yirmiya, N., Milshtein, S., Ebstein, R. P., & Levi, S. (2012). The broad autism phenotype questionnaire: Mothers versus fathers of children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,42(5), 837–846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1315-9.
Sheldrick, R. C., & Carter, A. S. (2018). State-level trends in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from 2000 to 2012: A reanalysis of findings from the autism and developmental disabilities network. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,48(9), 3086–3092. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3568-z.
Sucksmith, E., Roth, I., & Hoekstra, R. A. (2011). Autistic traits below the clinical threshold: Re-examining the broader autism phenotype in the 21st century. Neuropsychology Review,21(4), 360–389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-011-9183-9.
Suzuki, K., Shinohara, R., Sato, M., Otawa, S., & Yamagata, Z. (2016). Association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and birth weight: An appropriately adjusted model from the Japan environment and children's study. Journal of Epidemiology,26(7), 371–377. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20150185.
Tiainen, A. M., Männistö, S., Lahti, M., Blomstedt, P. A., Lahti, J., Perälä, M. M., et al. (2013). Personality and dietary intake—Findings in the Helsinki birth cohort study. PLoS ONE,8(7), e68284. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068284.
Tsubono, Y., Takamori, S., Kobayashi, M., Takahashi, T., Iwase, Y., Iitoi, Y., et al. (1996). A data-based approach for designing a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire for a population-based prospective study in Japan. Journal of Epidemiology,6(1), 45–53.
Vuillermot, S., Luan, W., Meyer, U., & Eyles, D. (2017). Vitamin D treatment during pregnancy prevents autism-related phenotypes in a mouse model of maternal immune activation. Molecular Autism,8, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-017-0125-0.
Willett, W., & Stampfer, M. J. (1986). Total energy intake: Implications for epidemiologic analyses. American Journal of Epidemiology,124(1), 17–27.
Yokoyama, Y., Takachi, R., Ishihara, J., Ishii, Y., Sasazuki, S., Sawada, N., et al. (2016). Validity of short and long self-administered food frequency questionnaires in ranking dietary intake in middle-aged and elderly Japanese in the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study for the next generation (JPHC-NEXT) protocol area. Journal of Epidemiology,26, 420–432. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.JE20150064.
Yuan, W. L., Rigal, N., Monnery-Patris, S., Chabanet, C., Forhan, A., Charles, M. A., et al. (2016). Early determinants of food liking among 5y-old children: A longitudinal study from the EDEN mother-child cohort. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity,13, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0342-5.
Acknowledgments
The Japan Environment and Children’s Study was supported by the Ministry of the Environment of the Government of Japan. The findings and conclusions of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the Ministry of the Environment.
Members of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), as of 2017 (principal investigator, Toshihiro Kawamoto): Reiko Kishi (Hokkaido Regional Center for JECS, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan), Nobuo Yaegashi (Miyagi Regional Center for JECS, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan), Koichi Hashimoto (Fukushima Regional Center for JECS, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan), Chisato Mori (Chiba Regional Center for JECS, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan), Shuichi Ito (Kanagawa Regional Center for JECS, Yokohama City University, Kanagawa, Japan), Zentaro Yamagata (Koshin Regional Center for JECS, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan), Hidekuni Inadera (Toyama Regional Center for JECS, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan), Michihiro Kamijima (Aichi Regional Center for JECS, Nagoya City University, Aichi, Japan), Toshio Heike (Kyoto Regional Center for JECS, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan), Hiroyasu Iso (Osaka Regional Center for JECS, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan), Masayuki Shima (Hyogo Regional Center for JECS, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan), Yasuaki Kawai (Tottori Regional Center for JECS, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan), Narufumi Suganuma (Kochi Regional Center for JECS, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan), Koichi Kusuhara (Fukuoka Regional Center for JECS, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan), and Takahiko Katoh (South Kyushu/Okinawa Regional Center for JECS, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan).
Funding
The Japan Environment and Children’s Study was funded by the Ministry of the Environment, the Government of Japan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Consortia
Contributions
KH analyzed the data and wrote this manuscript; TK was in charge of dataset management, and engaged in manuscript writing; SI and KH engaged in manuscript writing; TS and KU participated in data collection, and engaged in conception of this manuscript writing. HI is a member of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, and engaged in conception of this manuscript writing and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed Consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The members of Japan Environment & Children’s Study Group are list in “Acknowledgments”.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hirokawa, K., Kimura, T., Ikehara, S. et al. Associations Between Broader Autism Phenotype and Dietary Intake: A Cross-Sectional Study (Japan Environment & Children’s Study). J Autism Dev Disord 50, 2698–2709 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04380-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04380-z